The hollow rumble of a drum, the only instrument in the background, fills the air. Soon the husky voice of a devotional singer, more like an alms-seeker outside a dargah, proclaims the praise of the prophet, blessing and praying for the benefactor.
T
Kachchh, Gujarat
|THU, MAY 25, 2023
Kachchh: minars of faith and fraternity
A folk-song from a region that has preserved its syncretic traditions in music, architecture and culture, despite political upheavals. This devotional song carries the unique flavour of this desert
Illustration
Series Curator
“A tola and a quarter of gold in my hand and
also in the hands of my sister
also in the hands of my sister
Be generous you giver, don’t torment us so much...”
It’s a song that gives us a glimpse of the great syncretic traditions of Kachchh. This is a region of nomadic pastoralists who once sheparded their livestock on an annual migratory route across the Great Rann of Kachchh to Sindh, now in Pakistan, and back again. New boundaries that came up after partition put an end to that journey, but strong ties between Hindu and Muslim pastoral communities across the borders of Kachchh and Sindh remained.
A rich confluence of religious practices like Sufism, poetry, folklore, mythologies, and even languages spawned by that interaction, is what has come to define the lives of communities in the region, their art, architecture and religious practices. A repertoire of these shared cultures and syncretic practices, many of them based on Sufism, is found in the now declining traditions of this region’s folk music.
Devotion to the Prophet shines through this song sung by 45-year-old Kishor Ravar, a pastoralist from Morgar village in Nakhatrana taluka.
Listen to the folk song sung by Kishor Ravar from Nakhatrana
કરછી
મુનારા મીર મામધ જા,મુનારા મીર સૈયધ જા.
ડિઠો રે પાંજો ડેસ ડૂંગર ડુરે,
ભન્યો રે મૂંજો ભાગ સોભે રે જાની.
મુનારા મીર અલાહ.. અલાહ...
મુનારા મીર મામધ જા મુનારા મીર સૈયધ જા
ડિઠો રે પાજો ડેસ ડૂંગર ડોલે,
ભન્યો રે મૂજો ભાગ સોભે રે જાની.
મુનારા મીર અલાહ.. અલાહ...
સવા તોલો મૂંજે હથમેં, સવા તોલો બાંયા જે હથમેં .
મ કર મોઈ સે જુલમ હેડો,(૨)
મુનારા મીર અલાહ.. અલાહ...
કિતે કોટડી કિતે કોટડો (૨)
મધીને જી ખાં ભરીયા રે સોયરો (૨)
મુનારા મીર અલાહ... અલાહ....
અંધારી રાત મીંય રે વસંધા (૨)
ગજણ ગજધી સજણ મિલધા (૨)
મુનારા મીર અલાહ....અલાહ
હીરોની છાં જે અંઈયા ભેણૂ (૨)
બધીયા રે બોય બાહૂ કરીયા રે ડાહૂ (૨)
મુનારા મીર અલાહ… અલાહ….
મુનારા મીર મામધ જા,મુનારા મીર સૈયધ જા.
ડિઠો રે પાજો ડેસ ડુરે
ભન્યો રે મૂજો ભાગ સોભે રે જાની
મુનારા મીર અલાહ અલાહ
English
Minars of Muhammad, Minars of Saiyad
Oh I’ve seen the mountains of my native land
bow down in front of them
Oh I’m lucky! My heart shines in their glory
Minars of mir Muhammad, allah! allah!
Minars of Muhammad, Minars of Saiyad
Oh I’ve seen the mountains of my native land
bow down in front of them
Oh I’m lucky! My heart shines in their glory
Minars of mir Muhammad, allah! allah!
A tola and a quarter of gold in my hand and
also in the hands of my sister
Be generous you giver, don’t torment us so much (2)
Oh, Minars of mir Muhammad, allah! allah!
Not a room small or big (2)
In Madina you shall have mines of Soyaro
In Madina you will find his abundant grace.
Oh, Minars of mir Muhammad, allah! allah!
It’ll rain, it’ll pour in the dark of the night
the sky will rumble, you will be with your loved ones
Minars of Mir Muhammad, allah! allah!
I am like a fearful deer, I raise my arms and pray
Minars of Muhammad, Minars of Saiyad
Oh I’ve seen the mountains of my native land
bow down in front of them
Oh I’m lucky! My heart shines in their glory
Oh, Minars of Mir Muhammad, allah! allah!
Rahul Ramanathan
Type of song: Traditional folk song
Cluster: Songs of devotion
Song: 5
Title of the song: Munara mir Mamadh ja, munara mir Shahidh ja
Composer: Amad Sameja
Singer: Kishor Ravar. He is a 45-year-old pastoralist from Morgar village in Nakhtrana taluka
Instruments used: Drum
Recording year: 2004, KMVS studio
Gujarati translation: Amad Sameja, Bharati Gor
English translation: Pratishtha Pandya
A special thanks to Preeti Soni, Aruna Dholakia, secretary, KMVS, Amad Sameja, project coordinator KMVS for their support and to Bhartiben Gor for her invaluable help with Gujarati translation
Want to republish this article? Please write to [email protected] with a cc to [email protected]
Donate to PARI
All donors will be entitled to tax exemptions under Section-80G of the Income Tax Act. Please double check your email address before submitting.
PARI - People's Archive of Rural India
ruralindiaonline.org
https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/kachchh-minars-of-faith-and-fraternity